Excess Fat In A Problem Area?

By Jennifer Miller, DC

Obesity. Excess fat. It is the number one unwanted condition in our society today. It has no prejudice. It occurs in all races, ethnicities, gender, geographic regions and socioeconomic status. According to the Food Research and Action Center in Washington DC, 68.8% of adults in the United States are overweight.

If you ask people what they “should” do, the answers will be common; diet and exercise. Then, why are almost 7 of 10 Americans overweight? That question can't be answered in this short column, but suffice it to say, either we are lazy or doing the wrong things the wrong way. Or, we just aren't disciplined enough or too busy in our type A lifestyles.

In the body, there are fat cells. We can't get more of them or less of them. They are there; you earned them. However, they can be shrunk. This is what happens when you eat properly and exercise, they get smaller. They get smaller, you look better, and then you feel better and more confident in yourself. However, this requires self-discipline, and that is lacking in today's society, as a generalization.

But, there is technology to help give us a shortcut. There are lasers approved by the FDA to help shrink those fat cells. Without exercise, diets, pills or invasive procedures.

Fat cells contain water, glycerol and free fatty acids. They are released or opened with exercise or with a laser. These are then carried away from the body by the lymphatic system. The difference between the laser and exercise is with the laser you can pinpoint the exact spot you want to shrink the fat cells, where with exercise, it is just a uniform loss. That is why most people are left with a troubled area. For men, that is mostly the abdomen and love handles area. For women, the hips, thighs, gluteal region and triceps (back of the arm). Exercise can target building muscle in these areas, but not losing fat. The laser can target the area you want to lose fat from.